1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 regulates VEGF production through a vitamin D response element in the VEGF promoter
Issue date
2009Author
Cardús i Figueras, Anna
Panizo García, Sara
Aldea, Martí
Fernandez, Elvira
Suggested citation
Cardús i Figueras, Anna;
Panizo García, Sara;
Encinas Martín, Mario;
Dolcet Roca, Xavier;
Gallego, Carme;
Aldea, Martí;
...
Valdivielso Revilla, José Manuel.
(2009)
.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 regulates VEGF production through a vitamin D response element in the VEGF promoter.
Atherosclerosis, 2009, vol. 204, p. 85–89.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2008.08.020.
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Show full item recordAbstract
In previous studies we have demonstrated that the active form of vitamin D (1,25(OH)2D3) increases vascular
endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression and release in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) in
vitro. However, the mechanism by which 1,25(OH)2D3 increases VEGF production is currently unknown.
In this work, we demonstrated binding of vitamin D receptor to two response elements in the VEGF
promoter. We performed promoter transactivation analysis and we observed that, in 293T cells, VEGF
promoter was activated after vitamin D treatment. Using site-directed mutagenesis we have shown that
both response elements are important for VEGF promoter activity. Therefore, the increase in VEGF expression
and secretion induced by 1,25(OH)2D3 in VSMC in vitro could be explained by direct binding of the
vitamin D receptor, as a transcription factor, to VEGF promoter. These results could explain part of the
beneficial effects of vitamin D treatment in renal patients by a possible VEGF-mediated improvement of
the endothelial dysfunction.